Fire destroyed house, workshop at Smithfield

A fire of undetermined cause completely ravaged a house and workshop in Smithfield, New Amsterdam Berbice, early Tuesday morning.

Shawn Embrace, 52, lived on the upper floor of the three-bedroom house with his mother, Charlotte Embrack, 84, and his daughter.

Shawn, who is a contractor told reporters that the community was experiencing a power outage during the morning. He said at approximately 10:50 hour, while on his way to a nearby shop, he noticed smoke emanating from the ceiling of the upper floor. He said he hurried back home in an attempt to salvage some belongings, but the fire spread rapidly throughout the property, leaving him unable to recover anything.

Firefighters from the New Amsterdam Fire Station were summoned and arrived to combat the flames.

Shawn’s workshop was located on the lower level of the house.

“I had a lot of things in the workshop—welding equipment, a generator, concrete cutters, a jackhammer, and various electrical tools,” Shawn recounted.

He was unable to quantify his losses, but the family plans to rebuild a new structure.

Berbice Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald confirmed that the cause of the fire is still being investigated.